Men's Soccer

Top 12 of 2012: #11 Men's Soccer Senior Day vs. Western Conn. (10/20)

Dec 21, 2012

This is the second in our Top 12 of 2012 series. Every day for the rest of 2012, we will count down the Top 12 moments/games of the year with each program represented. With two Little East Conference Champions, a handful of wins against nationally ranked teams and several program firsts-2012 was quite the year.

Coming off a terrific 2011 season the UMass Boston men's soccer team had high expectations for the 2012 season, especially with a talented group of upperclassmen coming back. But after a string of injuries and tough calls early in the season and a snake-bitten offense all year-the Beacons limped into the final contest looking for their first home win and first conference win of the year.

Before the game, the Beacons honored their seven seniors, hoping to give the group one last fond memory at the Clark Athletic Center Field. And it took less than two minutes to do just that, as UMass Boston grabbed a lead they would never give up.

But it was senior Reyn Johnson (Mangilao, Guam) who made the key play of the game. With under 10 minutes to go in the first half, the Colonials sent a shot to the near post that looked destined to end up in the back of the net. The wily Johnson sprinted over and cleared it away-helping the Beacons avoid another letdown at home.

The Beacons senior class finished their career with 26 victories and helped the program to their fourth postseason tournament in school history in 2012. They leave a legacy of hard work and determination that has inspired the next group of Beacons to make an even deeper run into the postseason in future years.